Archive for the 'Florida Georgia Line' Tag Under 'Soundcheck' Category

Luke Bryan was the perfect choice to cap this year’s wild Stagecoach Festival in Indio. The 37-year-old cutie from Nashville is arguably the biggest of the long weekend’s three headliners, including Eric Church (windswept on Friday) and Jason Aldean (who rocked the Mane Stage on Saturday).

Bryan is all over radio right now thanks to his fourth album, Crash My Party. That August release has yielded several hits, all of which he performed in front of the massive crowd: the title track, his opening song “That’s My Kinda Party,” “Play It Again” and the heart-wrenching ballad “Drink a Beer.”

The seasoned vocalist can easily get ladies swooning. He knows his bright, sparkling eyes and those tight (really tight) jeans coupled with hip-swaying dance moves will get roars of approval, so he uses them to his advantage. But he also can cater to the guys, cracking open his classic Miller Lite cans with just one hand, toasting the crowd and guzzling a brew – or three.

Three of the Nashville scene’s current chart-topping studs – Eric Church, Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan – have been tapped to headline the next Stagecoach Country Music Festival, April 25-27 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.

It’s the first time Church has been back to the event, now entering its eighth year, since its inaugural two-day run in 2007. Aldean also appeared then, while Bryan (above) made his debut at the first three-day gathering in 2008.

Back then he was a newcomer with no higher ranking than “American Idol” also-ran Bucky Covington. Next year, he will close the festivities. It also seems a given that one night – most likely Saturday, when Aldean headlines – all three chief attractions will appear to perform their joint hit “The Only Way I Know.”

With last year’s sprawling 20-song set Privateering, veteran guitarist and singer-songwriter Mark Knopfler not only issued the first double-album of new material in his nearly four-decade career, he also surpassed himself: He has now put out more studio efforts as a solo act than he did as leader of epic-inclined rock band Dire Straits.

That wealth of recent material means he will have a lot to draw from when he returns to California for a string of dates, including Oct. 23 at the Long Beach Terrace Theater, $42-$82, and Oct. 26 at the Wiltern (a seated show), $55.50-$156.

Both of those go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. Also see him Oct. 25 at the Pearl Concert Theater in Las Vegas, $66-$146, on sale Monday; and Oct. 27 at the Fox Theater in Oakland, $65.50-$129.50, on sale Aug. 25.

The Brian Setzer Orchestra: They can’t very well continue their holiday tradition at Gibson Amphtheatre – that place, closing next month, will probably be demolished by the time December gets here. So the guitar whiz and his ensemble are moving their 10th annual Christmas Rocks show to the Dolby Theatre (formerly the Kodak) at Hollywood & Highland on Dec. 21, $55.75-$95.75, on sale Friday at 10 a.m.

Luke Bryan definitely has a way with females. From the moment he stepped on stage Saturday night in his tight, dark-colored jeans, he was shaking his butt and driving women in the audience bananas.

Despite his immediate mistake of shouting out "what's up, Riverside, California?!" at the start of his sold-out performance at Go Country 105 FM's annual Go Fest at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, the 37-year-old Georgia native was immediately forgiven and met with a slew of bras and panties – of all sizes and colors – being playfully thrown at him.

Quickly heading into material off his about-to-drop fourth album, Crash My Party (due Tuesday), Bryan soon found himself involuntarily up-close and personal with some of his wildest fans. One young woman jumped on stage twice and was all over the vocalist, who continued to sing while looking back at security, signaling them to come pull her off. At the end of the new album's title track, which is also his latest radio single, a large-cupped bra was heaved right into his face, prompting him to giggle a little through the end of the otherwise sweet song.

"Where'd that crazy girl go?" Bryan asked, looking around after that performance and making a joke about how she must be waiting on his tour bus. "Just kidding: she's in jail, she's locked up," he told her remaining friends in the front row.

There's still no official word as to who is headlining Go Country 105's 6th annual Summer Under the Stars show at the Greek Theatre on July 19 – although as that bash happens two days after Alan Jackson plays Pacific Amphitheatre, it's believed he will turn up at the L.A. venue as well.

Regardless, we do know who will head up the radio station's next Go Fest in Irvine: Luke Bryan.

The Georgia native and recent ACM pick for entertainer of the year will headline the event at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on Aug. 10. His fourth album, apparently titled Blue Moon Stampede, is expected shortly after that, on Aug. 13, having been teased by the April single "Crash My Party."

Also in the Go Fest mix this time: husband-and-wife duo Thompson Square and the rocked-up feel of Florida Georgia Line, along with a side stage featuring newcomers Amie Mangola, the Henningsens and Morgan Frazier.

American flags are a common sight at Stagecoach, yet I didn’t actually spot one from a state other than California until Sunday evening, when a guy wrapped in an Arkansas diamond logo banner danced around to Charley Pride inside the Palomino tent.

Only one real gem emerged from the third day of festival proceedings: Blue Sky Riders. The Americana/pop group comprising '70s and '80 soft-rock hit-maker Kenny Loggins, plus esteemed singer-songwriters Gary Burr and Georgia Middleman, displayed the purest vocal harmonies heard all weekend.

A key example came right away, as the trio and backing musicians introduced their inviting set with “I’m a Rider” and a couple lines done a capella. Blue Sky Riders’ solid debut Finally Home, co-produced by music legend Peter Asher, came out this past January.

The ominous, Cajun-tinged “Feelin’ Brave,” with Middleman on dulcimer, proved enticing, while the rollicking “You’re Not the Boss of Me” found Loggins and her happily sharing a microphone before a decent-sized Palomino crowd. Other ebullient highlights included the slinky “I Get It,” a folksy “How About Now” (revamped from Loggins’ same-titled 2007 CD) and the indelible melody in “Just Say Yes.”